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Inconsistent Self-Report of Delinquency by Adolescents and Young Adults with ADHD

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Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to test the ability of adolescents and young adults with childhood ADHD to reliably self-report delinquency history. Data were examined from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS), a follow-up study of children diagnosed with ADHD between 1987 and 1996. Self-report of lifetime delinquency history was compared to concurrent parent-report and to self-report 1 year later. Participants included 313 male probands and 209 demographically similar comparison individuals without ADHD. Results indicated that adolescents and young adults with childhood ADHD were more likely than comparison participants to fail to report delinquent acts reported by a parent and to recant acts they endorsed 1 year earlier. This trend was most apparent for acts of mild to moderate severity. After controlling for several covariates, current ADHD symptom severity and parent-report of the participant’s tendency to lie predicted reporting fewer delinquent acts than one’s parent. Current ADHD symptom severity also predicted more recanting of previously endorsed acts. Based on these findings, several recommendations are made for the assessment of delinquency history in adolescents and young adults with childhood ADHD.

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by grants DA12414, F31 DA017546 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and additionally, AA11873 from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Research was also supported in part by AA00202, AA08746, AA12342, and grants from the National Institute on Mental Health (MH12010, MH4815, MH47390, MH45576, MH50467, MH53554, MH069614), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES0515-08), and Institute of Education Sciences (IESLO3000665A, IESR324B060045).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Children and Families, State University of New York at Buffalo, 106 Diefendorf Hall, 3435 Main Street, Building 20, Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA

    Margaret H. Sibley, William E. Pelham, Daniel A. Waschbusch, Elizabeth M. Gnagy, Dara E. Babinski & Aparajita Biswas

  2. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Brooke S. G. Molina

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  1. Margaret H. Sibley
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  2. William E. Pelham
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  4. Daniel A. Waschbusch
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  7. Aparajita Biswas
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Correspondence to Margaret H. Sibley.

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Sibley, M.H., Pelham, W.E., Molina, B.S.G. et al. Inconsistent Self-Report of Delinquency by Adolescents and Young Adults with ADHD. J Abnorm Child Psychol 38, 645–656 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9404-3

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